Method of selecting or identifying a surgical gown

ABSTRACT

A method of selecting a gown for a surgical procedure is provided. The method includes the step of displaying a listing of surgical procedures and a plurality of gown identification marks at a first location. Another step involves correlating the surgical procedures to the gown identification marks. Additionally, another step involves choosing a gown from a location that is remote to the first location. The gown chosen is suited for the surgical procedure based upon indicia at the remote location that corresponds the gown to at least one of the gown identification marks or the surgical procedures.

BACKGROUND

[0001] Surgeons and other healthcare providers often wear an overgarment during operating procedures in order to enhance the sterilecondition in the operating room and to protect the wearer. The overgarment is typically a gown that has a main body portion to whichrespective sleeves are attached. In order to prevent the spread ofinfection to and from the patient, the surgical gown prevents bodilyfluids and other liquids present during surgical procedures from flowingthrough the gown.

[0002] Contamination could occur, for instance, if during surgery thesurgical gown used is not sufficiently fluid repellant and becomessaturated with blood. This blood may be wicked through the surgical gownand may wet the under clothes and/or the skin of the healthcareprovider. This penetration of fluid is sometimes referred to as “strikethrough”. Microorganisms present on the skin or under clothes may thenbe carried outward through capillary channels in the surgical gown tothe surface of the gown, consequently contaminating the gown. Therefore,a liquid path through the surgical gown may be established along whichviruses, bacteria, or other contaminants may travel to and/or from thepatient.

[0003] Surgical gowns were originally made of cotton or linen and weresterilized prior to use in the operating room. A disadvantage of thematerials used in these types of gowns is that they tend to form lint,which is capable of becoming airborne or clinging to the clothes of thewearer, thereby providing another potential source of contamination.Additionally, since these gowns were costly, laundering andsterilization procedures were required before reuse.

[0004] Disposable surgical gowns have largely replaced the linensurgical gown and many are now made in part or entirely from fluidrepellent or impervious fabrics to prevent strike through. Variousmaterials and designs have been used in the manufacture of surgicalgowns to prevent contamination in different operating room conditions.As such, surgical gowns are available in a variety of different levelsof protection and comfort.

[0005] Gowns made from liquid repellent material are well known in theart. This type of material is available in a wide range of“imperviousness”. While such completely impervious material provides ahigh degree of protection, a surgical gown constructed of this materialis typically very heavy due to the weight of the material, expensive,and usually hot to the wearer. In some of these surgical gowns, certainportions such as the shoulders and back panels may be of a lighterweight material in order to provide for better breathability and helpreduce the overall weight of the surgical gown. However, the higher thebreathability of the material, the lower the repellency of the material.This in turn limits the use of the gown or the effectiveness of the gownin these particular areas.

[0006] Different types of surgical procedures expose the healthcareprovider to various levels of blood and/or fluid exposure. As such, itis not feasible or economical to use the same type of surgical gown forevery surgical procedure conducted by the healthcare provider. Forinstance, during surgeries that are shorter and/or have a low amount offluid exposure, it may be desirable to use a surgical gown that islighter in weight and is not completely fluid impervious. This selectionallows for a less expensive gown to be used in addition to providinggreater comfort and mobility to the healthcare provider. Also, thisselection provides for a surgical gown that works for its intendedpurpose. On the other hand, surgical procedures that are longer and/orexpose the healthcare provider to a large amount of fluid may call forthe selection of a surgical gown that is completely fluid impervious.Additionally, other surgical procedures expose the healthcare providerto levels of fluid between these extremes, therefore calling for theselection of an appropriate surgical gown as the situation dictates.

[0007] Under the current practice, surgical gowns are typically placedin a package that has a brand name located thereon. Before beginning acertain surgical procedure, the healthcare provider may select asurgical gown based on the brand name of the surgical gown printed onthe package. Additionally, the healthcare provider may make his or herselection based on prior experiences in using a particular surgical gownin a particular surgical procedure. Also, it may be the case that thehealthcare provider does not read the labeling of the surgical gown indetail in order to ascertain which types of surgical procedures theparticular surgical gown may be employed. Variations in strike throughprevention between different surgical gown manufacturers exist, furthercomplicating the selection process based upon brand recognition.

[0008] It is the case that current practices relating to the selectionof a surgical gown to be used in a particular surgical procedure are notuniform across the healthcare industry due to the fact that healthcareproviders select gowns based on brand names and their own personalexperiences.

[0009] There is therefore a need in the art for a method that thehealthcare provider may use in order to more accurately and/orconsistently select a surgical gown for use in a particular surgicalprocedure.

SUMMARY

[0010] Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth inpart in the following description, or may be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned from practice of the invention.

[0011] The present invention provides for a method of selecting a gownto be worn during a surgical procedure. The method includes the step oflisting information that pertains to a plurality of surgical proceduresin a first location. A plurality of gown identification marks aredepicted in the first location, and each gown identification markcorresponds to at least one of the surgical procedures. Additionally, aplurality of surgical gowns are provided, the gowns are subdivided intogroups where each group corresponds to at least one of the gownidentification marks. The individual gowns in each group are marked withindicia. The indicia corresponds the gown to the gown identificationmark of the group from which the gown is selected. Also, the methodincludes the step of selecting the gown to be worn during the procedurebased upon any of the listing of information, the gown identificationmark, and the indicia.

[0012] The present invention also provides for a method of selecting agown for a surgical procedure. This method includes the step ofdisplaying a listing of surgical procedures and a plurality of gownidentification marks at a first location. The procedures are correlatedto the marks. Also, a gown from a location remote to the first locationis chosen that is suited for the procedure based upon indicia at theremote location that corresponds the gown to at least one of the gownidentification marks or surgical procedures.

[0013] The present invention also provides for a method of identifying agown. This method includes the step of providing information thatcorresponds a plurality of procedures to a plurality of gownidentification marks. A surgical gown that is to be worn during asurgical procedure is provided. The gown is configured for being usedwith at least one of the procedures. Additionally, the gown is labeledin a manner that is substantially similar to at least one of theplurality of gown identification marks.

[0014] The gown identification marks used in the present invention maybe symbols that are at least partially pictorial. In one exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, three different gown identificationmarks are used. Here, the first gown identification mark is a symbolcorresponding to procedures having a first expected fluid exposure. Thesecond symbol corresponds to procedures having a higher expected fluidexposure than procedures corresponding to the first symbol. Additionallyin this exemplary embodiment, a third symbol is present and correspondsto procedures having a higher expected fluid exposure than procedurescorresponding to the second symbol.

[0015] The present invention also provides for a method as describedabove where the listing of information is in the form of a chart.Further, gown identification marks in the listing of information mayeach be a combination of words and at least one image, in accordancewith one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] The indicia in accordance with the present invention may belocated on the gown. For instance, the indicia may be located on theinside surface of the gown. Alternatively or additionally, the gownidentification marks may be located at a second location that is astorage area that holds the surgical gowns. Also, the gownidentification marks may be located on a package that holds the surgicalgown.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of alisting of information used for selecting a gown to be worn during asurgical procedure in accordance with the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a gown identification mark inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Thegown identification mark is used to identify gowns capable of being usedwith low levels of expected fluid exposure.

[0019]FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of agown identification mark in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention. The gown identification mark is used to identifygowns capable of being used with moderate levels of expected fluidexposure.

[0020]FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a gown identification mark inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Thisthird gown identification mark is used to identify gowns capable ofbeing used with high levels of expected fluid exposure.

[0021]FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of a tie card that has printedinformation that further explains the method of selecting a surgicalgown in accordance with the present invention.

[0022]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a gown having indicia attachedthereto in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0023]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a gown having indicia located onthe inside surface of the gown proximate to the collar of the gownaccording to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0024]FIG. 7A is a detailed view of the circle labeled FIG. 7A in FIG.7. The gown is shown as having a gown identification mark, a brand name,a gown size, and a gown product code located thereon in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of amethod of selecting a gown in accordance with the present invention.Here, a listing of information is located on a wall, and various stacksof gowns are located on a storage area and identified by a series ofgown identification marks.

[0026]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a gownin a package in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. Here, a gown identification mark is located on the packageinto which the gown is held.

[0027]FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of a listing of information thatis to be used with the method of selecting a gown in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0028]FIG. 11 is a front elevation view of a listing of information thatis to be used in accordance with the method for selecting a gown inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Here,surgical procedures that correspond to various expected levels of fluidexposure are left blank and are to be filled in by the healthcareprovider.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of theinvention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in thedrawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of theinvention, and not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example,features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be usedwith another embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It isintended that the present invention include these and othermodifications and variations.

[0030] The present invention provides for a way of selecting a surgicalgown that is to be worn during a surgical procedure. In order to carryout the method, a listing of information is provided. An example of onesuch listing of information 14 in accordance with one exemplaryembodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. Here, thelisting of information 14 is in a printed chart format. The listing ofinformation 14 includes a plurality of surgical procedures 12 that arecategorized as having a certain degree of expected fluid exposure 38.The different degrees of expected fluid exposure 38 may be categorized,for instance, by the amount of fluid transferred to the healthcareprovider during an operation, in addition to or alternatively with thetotal time of fluid exposure imparted to the healthcare provider duringthe operation. For instance, blood, saline, lavage, and/or saliva couldpotentially be transferred to the healthcare provider during theoperation. As can be seen in FIG. 1, the expected fluid exposure 38 isdivided into categories based on both the amount and time of fluidexposure. In other exemplary embodiments of the present invention, thevarious degrees of expected fluid exposure 38 may be divided based onthe amount of fluid exposure alone. For instance, less than 100 ml offluid, between 100 and 300 ml of fluid, and greater than 300 ml of fluidmay be used in order to categorize the various degrees of expected fluidexposure 38.

[0031] The listing of information 14 correlates the various degrees ofthe expected fluid exposure 38 to various surgical procedures 12. Thiscorrespondence may be made by taking the recommendations of differenthealthcare providers in determining the amount of expected fluidexposure 38 that is expected for a particular surgical procedure 12. Forinstance, in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention nurseconsultants or other healthcare providers may be used in order to makethe correspondence between the surgical procedure 12 and the expectedfluid exposure 38.

[0032] It is not necessary to correlate the levels of expected fluidexposure 38 to the surgical procedures 12 based solely on the amount ofexpected fluid. For instance, in one exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention the expected fluid exposure 38 is correlated to the surgicalprocedure 12 based on various factors with the total expected fluid inthe surgical procedure 12 being used only as a guide. In otherinstances, the amount of expected fluid is not even a factor. Variousfactors may be used such as the total fluid level, the duration, theoperative site, the position of the patient, and the type of surgerywhether minimal or traditional may all be factored in determining theamount of expected fluid exposure 38 for a particular surgical procedure12.

[0033] The surgical procedures 12 may be listed as a particular surgicalprocedure 12, such as a C-section, or may be listed as a more generaltype of surgical procedure, such as eye and ear procedures. An exampleof particular and more general surgical procedures 12 are shown in FIG.1 in which these various surgical procedures 12 are categorized ashaving low, moderate, or high expected levels of fluid exposure 38 basedon both the amount and duration of fluid exposure.

[0034] From this information, gown identification marks 16 are assignedto each degree of expected fluid exposure 38. FIGS. 2 through 4 show oneexemplary embodiment in accordance with the present invention of thegown identification marks 16 for particular levels of expected fluidexposure 38. FIG. 2 shows a first gown identification mark 18 thatcorresponds to low levels of expected fluid exposure 38 in FIG. 1. FIG.3 shows a second gown identification mark 20 that corresponds tomoderate levels of expected fluid exposure 38 in FIG. 1. Finally, FIG. 4shows a third gown identification mark 22 that corresponds to highlevels of expected fluid exposure 38 in FIG. 1. The first, second, andthird gown identification marks 18, 20, and 22 differ from one anotherin that they have one, two, or three droplets, such as blood droplets,identifying a particular gown identification mark 16. Increasing thenumber of blood droplets, or other symbolic volumetric indication,allows a healthcare provider to more easily associate a particular gownidentification mark 16 with a particular level of expected fluidexposure 38.

[0035] In accordance with other exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention, other designs for the gown identification marks 16 arepossible, for instance, in one such exemplary embodiment higher numbersof blood droplets may be used for lower levels of expected fluidexposure 38 while fewer blood droplets are used for higher expectedlevels of fluid exposure 38. However, other objects besides blooddroplets may be used. Also, the same type of object does not have to beused in all of the gown identification marks 16. Additionally, in otherexemplary embodiments of the present invention, the gown identificationmarks 16 may be completely pictorial and have no text written thereon.Alternatively, the gown identification marks 16 may be completelywritten text, for instance the gown identification marks 16 may be“LOW”, “MODERATE”, and “HIGH” in other exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention. It is therefore the case that any design, word,color, or combination thereof may be used in place of the gownidentification marks 16 shown in FIG. 1 as long as they differentiatethe different levels of expected fluid exposure 38.

[0036] The listing of information 14 may also have a row listing arecommended gown example 24 for each of the different levels of theexpected fluid exposure 38. The recommended gown examples 24 may bebrand names of gowns 10 on the market that are capable of resistingfluid as described with respect to the amount of expected fluid exposure38 under which the recommended gown example 24 is listed. Therecommended gown example 24 therefore allows for a secondary way ofidentifying an appropriate gown 10 to be used with the surgicalprocedure 12.

[0037] The present invention also includes the step of identifying agown 10, as seen in FIG. 6, with indicia. This indicia may be at leastone of the gown identification marks 16. Although it is preferable toplace the gown identification marks 16 on the gown 10, in otherexemplary embodiments of the present invention, it is possible toidentify the gown 10 without placing the gown identification mark 16 onthe gown 10. It is only necessary under the scope of the presentinvention that the gown 10 be identified by one of the gownidentification marks 16. It is not necessary that the indicia thatidentifies the gown 10 be exactly the same as the gown identificationmark 16 on the listing of information 14. For instance, referring toFIG. 1, the gown identification marks 16 are shown as being one, two, orthree blood droplets having a company name located proximate to theblood droplets, and being surrounded by a pair of circles. It may be thecase that the indicia that identifies the gowns 10 only have the blooddroplets and do not have the company name or circles as do the onesshown in the listing of information 14. It should be appreciated thatany manner of indicia may correlate the gown 10 to the gownidentification mark 16.

[0038] The gown 10 is known to have a particular amount of resistance tofluid. The gown is then identified using the gown identification mark 16that corresponds the amount of fluid resistance in the gown 10 to theappropriate level of expected fluid exposure 38 as shown in FIG. 1. Aplurality of gowns 10, made by different manufactures and havingdifferent degrees of fluid resistance, may then be labeled with theappropriate indicia.

[0039] The healthcare provider may view the listing of information 14and find the particular surgical procedure 12 in which he or she is tobe involved. From there, the particular surgical procedure 12 iscorrelated to a particular gown identification mark 16. The healthcareprovider may then move to the location where the gowns 10 are stored andselect the proper gown 10 as identified by the matching gownidentification mark 16 being the indicia on the gown 10. In oneexemplary embodiment of the present invention, the listing ofinformation 14 is on a poster that is placed in clear view, forinstance, near a scrub sink or other highly visible location. Thesurgeon and operating room staff may enter the scrub area and begin thehand scrubbing process, which last approximately three to five minutes.In this time the surgeon or operating room staff member will be able toview the listing of information 14 and understand the correspondencebetween the surgical procedure 12 he or she is about to participate inand the matching gown identification mark 16. As the surgeon oroperating room staff member enters the operating room, a towel is takenand his or her hands are dried. At this point the surgical gown isselected or given to the surgeon or operating room staff member. Theproper gown 10 may be selected based upon the gown identification mark16 viewed in the listing of information 14.

[0040] The indicia which may be for instance the gown identificationmark 16 may be placed on both the outside and inside 32 of the gown 10as shown in FIG. 6. Alternatively, the gown identification mark 16 mayonly be located on one portion of the gown 10. The present inventionincludes exemplary embodiments where the gown identification mark 16 isplaced in any number or at any location on the gown 10. FIG. 7 shows anexemplary embodiment where the gown identification mark 16 is placed onthe inside 32 of the gown 10 at a location proximate to a collar 50 ofthe gown 10. As can be seen in greater detail in FIG. 7A, the indiciabeing the gown identification mark 16 is substantially the same as thethird gown identification mark 22 as shown in FIG. 4. However,additional text is printed below the gown identification mark 16 as canbe seen in FIG. 7A. This additional text may include the brand name 26of the gown 10. Additionally, the gown size 28 and the gown product code30 may be placed proximate to the gown identification mark 16. The gownidentification marks 16 along with the brand name 26, gown size 28, andgown product code 30 may be stamped onto the gown 10 or may be on alabel that is applied to the gown 10 through adhesion. This additionalinformation helps to ensure that the proper gown 10 is selected by thehealthcare provider. Additionally, other information may be printed nextto the gown identification mark 16 in accordance with other exemplaryembodiments of the present invention.

[0041] Although described as being printed on a poster as shown in FIG.1, the listing of information 14 may be provided to the healthcareprovider in other ways in accordance with other exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention. For instance, the listing of information 14 maybe located on a computer, on a calendar, on a printed hand out, in amanual, or on an object such as a mouse pad. Additionally, more than onesuch listing of information 14 may be provided. For instance, severalposters displaying the listing of information 14 may be positionedaround the scrub area. Additionally, the present invention is notlimited to having the listing of information 14 be located at aparticular location such as near the scrub sink. The listing ofinformation 14 may be located near the operating room or may be locatedaway from the operating room or even outside of the hospital in otherexemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0042] The surgical gown 10 shown in FIG. 6 may be stored and/orpresented to the healthcare provider in a number of ways. For instance,surgical gowns 10 are often located on a back table and are packaged andpresented to the healthcare provider in a “book-fold” arrangement. Inthis type of arrangement, the inside 32 of the gown 10 is presented tothe healthcare provider while the outside 48 of the gown 10 is largelycontained inside of the folded gown 10. Hand pockets are located on eachside of the folded gown 10 for receipt of the healthcare provider'shands. As the hands are lifted up and out, the gown 10 will unfold andfall into place on the healthcare provider's body. The “book-fold”arrangement therefore helps to ensure that the outside 48 of the gown isnot contaminated prior to use in the surgical procedure. Such an exampleof a “book-fold” arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,525 toTankersley et al. which is assigned to the assignee of the presentinvention, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety for all purposes. The indicia being the gownidentification mark 16 may be placed on the inside 32 of the gown 10near the collar 50 as shown in FIG. 7. This allows for properidentification of the gown 10 with the surgical procedure 12 withouthaving to unfold or touch the gown 10 in order to locate the gownidentification mark 16. This in turn provides for a more sterile gown 10than would otherwise be the case. By placing several of the gownidentification marks 16 on both the outside 48 and inside 32 of the gown10, it is possible to reduce the probability of contamination broughtabout by excessive handling of the gown 10. Additionally, the healthcareprovider will be more quickly ready for the surgical procedure 12 byproviding a clearly visible gown identification mark 16.

[0043]FIG. 9 shows the gown 10 being contained within a package 36. Thegown identification mark 16 is located on the surface of the package 36,and not on the gown 10. This configuration is in accordance with oneexemplary embodiment of the present invention, and eliminates the needof placing the gown identification mark 16 directly on the gown 10.

[0044]FIG. 8 shows another exemplary embodiment of the present inventionwhere the gowns 10 are arranged in a first stack 54, a second stack 56,and a third stack 58 on a shelf 34. Each of the stacks 54, 56, and 58are labeled with a respective indicia being the first, second, and thirdgown identification marks 18, 20, and 22. In this manner, the gowns 10are identified without having the first, second, or third gownidentification marks 18, 20 and 22 placed directly on the gowns 10.Additionally, the gowns 10 shown in FIG. 8 are contained within packages36 that have the appropriate first, second, or third gown identificationmarks 18, 20, and 22 located thereon. In other exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention, it may be the case that the gowns 10 also haveone of the first, second, or third gown identification marks 18, 20, and22 located directly on the gown 10. The arrangement in FIG. 8 thereforeprovides an easily identifiable stack of gowns 10 that are classifiedaccording to a particular first, second, or third gown identificationmark 18, 20, or 22. The listing of information 14 is shown as being on aposter attached to a wall 52 and located above a shelf 34. It is to beunderstood that in other exemplary embodiments of the present invention,that the listing of information 14 may be located at a location moreremote from the gowns 10 as opposed to being located on the same wall 52onto which the gowns 10 are located via the shelf 34.

[0045] The healthcare provider may employ the method of the presentinvention in much the same way as discussed above. For instance, thehealthcare provider will identify the surgical procedure 12 in questionand then will be able to note the corresponding first, second, or thirdgown identification mark 18, 20, and 22 that relates to the surgicalprocedure 12. At this point, the healthcare provider may take from theappropriate stack the corresponding gown 10 that is to be employed inthe surgical procedure 12.

[0046] The indicia may be stamped onto the outside 48 of the gown 10.This allows both the wearer of the gown 10 and other healthcareproviders inside the operating room to quickly identify the type of gown10 being used by each person in the operating room. This may bebeneficial when a surgical procedure 12 is being conducted andadditional assistance is required or requested. Clear display of theindicia ensure that it is easy to identify and make certain that eachhealthcare provider involved in the surgical procedure 12 is adequatelyand properly protected.

[0047] Storage for the gowns 10 may vary from hospital to hospital. Insome hospitals, the gowns 10 may be placed into a bin as opposed tobeing located on the shelf 34. In this instance, the indicia being forinstance the gown identification marks 16 may be located on the bin inorder to identify the gown 10. Additionally, the gown identificationmarks 16 may be placed on the gown 10 itself and on the package 36 inorder to assist with the identification and selection of the gown 10. Inanother exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the gowns 10 arelocated inside of a vending machine. The vending machine may be providedwith the gown identification marks 16 such that the healthcare providermay dispense the appropriate gown 10 for the desired surgical procedure12.

[0048] In some instances, the gowns 10 are provided with a tie card 40as shown in FIG. 5. The tie card may have a sterile section 46 and anon-sterile section 44. Tie strings on the gown 10 are connected to thesterile section 46, and an assistant (typically the scrub or circulatingnurse) may grasp the non-sterile section 44 and pass the tie card 40along with the tie string around the back of the gown 10. At this point,the assistant may hand off the tie string and/or the tie card 40 to thewearer of the gown 10. From here, the tie strings may be tied in orderto properly secure the gown 10 and the tie card 40 may be thrown away.The tie card 40 in other instances may not be thrown away but may remainin and around the operating room and be used by operating room personnelfor taking notes, that are written on the tie card 40. One such exampleof a tie card 40 known in the art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,982,448 to Kogut the entire disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety for all purposes.

[0049] The tie card 40 provides another medium by which informationabout the surgical gown selection procedure may be communicated to thehealthcare provider. For instance, printed information 42 as shown inFIG. 5 that relates to the method of selecting a gown 10 in accordancewith the present invention may be printed on the tie card 40. Theprinted information 42 may be so placed in order to further acquaint thehealthcare provider with the correspondence between the gownidentification marks 16 and the various levels of expected fluidexposure 38. Alternatively, the tie card 40 may be provided with theparticular indicia used to identify the gown 10 onto which the tie card40 is attached. Although shown as being located in the non-sterilesection 44 of the tie card 40, the printed information 42 may be locatedon either the non-sterile section 44 and/or the sterile section 46.

[0050]FIG. 10 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment of the listingof information 14 in accordance with the present invention. Here,different surgical procedures 12 are listed on the listing ofinformation 14 as compared to the surgical procedures 12 listed inFIG. 1. As such, the present invention is not limited to a particularcorrespondence between the surgical procedures 12 and the levels ofexpected fluid exposure 38. Additionally, more than one listing ofinformation 14 may be used in accordance with the present invention. Forexample, a particular listing of information 14 may have surgicalprocedures 12 that relate to eye and ear procedures while a differentlisting of information 14 has surgical procedures 12 that are classifiedas cosmetic surgeries.

[0051] Although as shown in the form of a chart in FIG. 10, the listingof information 14 may be set up in other arrangements in order tocorrespond the gown identification marks 16 to the surgical procedures12 and the levels of expected fluid exposure 38. For instance, thelisting of information 14 may be in graphical form or may be only alisting of various surgical procedures 12 and corresponding gownidentification marks 16. It is therefore the case that in otherexemplary embodiments of the present invention that the row includingthe expected level of fluid exposure 38 is not included in the listingof information. Additionally, the row and information concerning therecommended gown examples 24 is not necessary in other exemplaryembodiments of the present invention.

[0052]FIG. 11 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present inventionwhere the listing of information 14 is not completed prior to deliveryto the healthcare provider. In this instance, the surgical proceduresare provided with a plurality of blanks 60. The healthcare provider mayfill in the blanks 60 as he or she sees fit in corresponding thesurgical procedures 12 to the expected level of fluid exposure 38 andthe corresponding gown identification marks 16. This is due to the factthat different hospitals or surgical units have different views as towhat type of gown 10 is appropriate for a particular surgical procedure12. For instance, some healthcare providers or hospitals may be moreconservative in selecting gowns 10 that are sure to provide the level offluid resistance necessary in all instances, while other hospitals orhealthcare providers are more liberal in selecting the gowns 10 so thatbenefits other than fluid resistance are employed.

[0053] In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the gownidentification marks 16 may be applied to the gowns 10 such that thehospital or healthcare provider is free to mark the gown 10 with thedesired gown identification mark 16. This also allows for flexibility inselecting the gown 10 based on the hospitals or healthcare provider'sview of the gown's 10 ability to resist fluid. In another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, some of the surgical procedures 12may be listed in the listing of information 14 while other surgicalprocedures 12 are added by the hospital or healthcare provider. However,it is to be understood that in the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the listing of information 14 is provided complete to thehospital or healthcare provider along with the indicia alreadyidentifying the gowns 10.

[0054] Although described as having three different identification marks16 to correspond to three different levels of expected fluid exposure38, it is to be understood that in other exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention that the surgical procedures 12 may be categorizedinto different levels of expected fluid exposure 38 in degrees otherthan three. For instance, two different levels of expected fluidexposure corresponding to two different gown identification marks 16 maybe used in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention while inanother, four different levels of expected fluid exposure correspondingto four different gown identification marks 16 may be used.

[0055] It should be understood that the present invention includesvarious modifications that can be made to the embodiments of theselection method described herein as come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of selecting a gown to be worn during asurgical procedure, comprising: listing information pertaining to aplurality of surgical procedures in a first location; depicting aplurality of gown identification marks in the first location, each gownidentification mark corresponding to at least one of the surgicalprocedures; providing a plurality of surgical gowns, the plurality beingsubdivided into groups wherein each group corresponds to at least one ofthe gown identification marks; marking the individual gowns in eachgroup with indicia, the indicia corresponding the gown to the gownidentification mark of the group from which the gown is selected; andselecting the gown to be worn during the procedure based upon any of thelisting of information, the gown identification mark, and the indicia.2. The method of claim 1, comprising depicting the gown identificationmarks at least partially pictorially.
 3. The method of claim 1,comprising corresponding the procedures to the gown identification marksbased upon expected fluid exposure of the procedure.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, comprising depicting the information in chart form.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the plurality of gown identification markscomprises a group of at least three distinct marks comprising: a firstsymbol corresponding to procedures having a first expected fluidexposure; a second symbol corresponding to procedures having a secondexpected fluid exposure greater than the first expected fluid exposure;and a third symbol corresponding to procedures having a third expectedfluid exposure greater than the said second expected fluid exposure. 6.The method of claim 5, comprising: depicting the first symbol as asingle droplet; depicting the second symbol as two droplets; anddepicting the third symbol as three droplets.
 7. The method of claim 1,comprising depicting each of the gown identification marks as acombination of words and at least one image.
 8. The method of claim 1,comprising marking the gown with a gown size, a brand name, and a gownproduct code proximal to the indicia.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinthe indicia is located on an inside surface of the gown.
 10. The methodof claim 1, comprising corresponding the procedures to low, moderate,and high levels of expected fluid exposure, wherein the low level ofexpected fluid exposure is less than about 100 ml of fluid, the moderatelevel of expected fluid exposure is between about 100 ml and about 300ml of fluid, and the high level of expected fluid exposure is greaterthan about 300 ml of fluid.
 11. The method of claim 1, comprisinglabeling a second location with the gown identification marks remotefrom the first location, wherein the second location corresponds to astorage area for the plurality of gowns.
 12. The method of claim 1,comprising packaging the gown and labeling the package with theappropriate gown identification mark.
 13. The method of claim 1, whereinthe indicia is applied directly on the gown.
 14. A method of selecting agown for a surgical procedure comprising: displaying a listing ofsurgical procedures and a plurality of gown identification marks at afirst location; correlating the procedures to the marks; and choosing agown from a location remote to the first location suited for theprocedure based upon indicia at the remote location corresponding thegown to at least one of the gown identification mark or surgicalprocedure.
 15. The method of claim 14, comprising depicting the gownidentification marks at least partially pictorially.
 16. The method ofclaim 14, comprising corresponding the procedures to the gownidentification marks based upon expected fluid exposure of theprocedure.
 17. The method of claim 14, depicting the information inchart form.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of gownidentification marks comprises a group of at least three distinct markscomprising: a first symbol corresponding to procedures having a firstexpected exposure; a second symbol corresponding to procedures having asecond expected fluid exposure greater than the first expected fluidexposure; and a third symbol corresponding to procedures having a thirdexpected fluid exposure greater than the second expected fluid exposure.19. The method of claim 14, comprising depicting at least one gownexample corresponding to each different procedure at the first location.20. The method of claim 14, comprising depicting each of the gownidentification marks as a combination of words and at least one image.21. The method of claim 14, comprising: storing the gowns at the remotelocation; and marking the indicia upon the gowns.
 22. The method ofclaim 14, comprising marking the indicia on an inside surface of thegowns.
 23. The method of claim 14, comprising corresponding theprocedures to low, moderate, and high levels of expected fluid exposure,wherein the low level of expected fluid exposure is less than about 100ml of fluid, the moderate level of expected fluid exposure is betweenabout 100 ml and about 300 ml of fluid, and the high level of expectedfluid exposure is greater than about 300 ml of fluid.
 24. The method ofclaim 14, comprising packaging the gown and labeling the package withthe appropriate gown identification mark.
 25. A method of identifying agown, comprising: providing information corresponding a plurality ofprocedures to a plurality of gown identification marks; providing asurgical gown to be worn during a surgical procedure, the gownconfigured for use with at least one of the procedures; and labeling thegown in a manner substantially similar to at least one of the pluralityof gown identification marks.